Developer replenishing container

Abstract

A developer replenishing container having a cylindrical container body with a bottle neck, and a tapered plug installed in the bottle neck of the cylindrical container body, wherein the tapered plug has a tubular shank axially extended from one end thereof and suspended in the bottle neck and defining with the bottle neck a developer passage for enabling the developer to be smoothly and evenly guided out of the container body through the developer passage upon rotary motion of the container body.

What the invention claimed is:  
     
       1. A developer replenishing container for use with an electrophotographic image forming apparatus, comprising: 
       a cylindrical container body holding a developer, said container body comprising a tapered shoulder, a bottle neck formed integral with said tapered shoulder at the center for output of said developer, positioning flange means formed integral with said bottle neck on the outside for coupling to driving means in the electrophotographic image forming apparatus with which said developer replenishing container is used, and a spiral guide groove around an inside wall thereof for guiding said developer out of said bottle neck, and  
       a tapered plug installed in said bottle neck; wherein  
       said tapered plug has a tubular shank axially extended from one end thereof and when said tapered plug is inserted into said bottle neck, said tapered plug and said bottle neck define a developer passage for output of said developer; and  
       a side of said spiral guide groove nearest an opening of said bottle neck is an axial wall orthogonal to a longitudinal centerline of said developer replenishing container, said axial wall thereby stopping backward movement of said developer.